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Post # 1
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Join Date: 22 Jun 2011
Location:  KuwaitPosts: 448 |
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Does drinking diet soda cause weight gain? |
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Contrary to popular belief that only high calorie drinks can jeopardise weight-loss plans, a new study claims diet soda too can make you fat.
People feel they can drink high amounts of the zero-calorie beverages without pilling on extra pounds, but the truth is diet soda is a big contributor to weight gain. The study highlights the increasingly negative information we are getting about the consumption of non-caloric sweetened beverages. People drink them to save calories and enjoy a sweet taste, but diet soda appears to be causing more problems than it solves. Lead author of the study, Dr. Helen Hazuda, professor of medicine at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, stated, “Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas as healthy alternatives may be ill-advised. “They may be free of calories, but not of consequences." Study details In a bid to determine whether drinking diet soda triggers weight gain, the researchers conducted a study. They recruited 474 adults, aged 65 to 74 years of age, for almost 10 years. All the participants were tracked for their health and soda consumption. For the purpose of the study, the investigators compared the waistlines of participants who guzzled diet drinks with those who abstained from the zero-calorie beverage. They also took into account people who consumed fizzy drinks on a regular basis. Revelations of the study The study found that diet soda is not an optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages. It was observed that the waists of volunteers who consumed diet drinks expanded 70 percent more than those avoided non-caloric beverages. It was further noted that people whose daily intake of diet sodas was more than two cans exhibited a 500 percent expansion in girth compared to those who steered clear of the stuff completely. The results remained consistent even after taking into account factors like physical activity, smoking, social status and education. The researchers said, "These results suggest that amidst the national drive to reduce chronic consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, policies that would promote the consumption of diet soft drinks may have unintended deleterious side-effects." |
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